far_veronafandomcom-20200215-history
The Wyzbuk
The W yzbuk is an alien lizard-like beast of unknown origin, its enormous size and weight are indicative that it could potentially be bio engineered. First sightings were on the Planet Man in the Menues-System by Seeker Pyxis Alers Domenic wich took the title WyzWatcher, there it hunted for humans and smaller prey. The species has wings and an exoskeleton, with which it makes unpredictable attacks from the sky thus making it harder to kill. The Wyzbuk also possesses a poison gland which creates a very strong hallucinogenic venom to drug its prey. The venom has a very short onset time and is extremely long-lasting. However, the Wyzbuk remains a very rare species and is fiercely classified under species protection, with only 171 living specimens alive in the wild to this date. Not without reason people who have encountered a Wyzbuk refer to this monstrosity as nightmare, which is also a common nickname for the beast. Color The age of a Wyzbuk can be easily distinguished with its color hue. While young specimens have dark shades of green, adults tend towards having dark brown shades. Ancient specimens, on the other hand, alter their exoskeleton colors to that of a dark grey, almost black shade. Anatomy The Wyzbuk has a unique and unusual anatomy. It’s not unheard of great lizards in Acheron Roh, however the Wyzbuk is more massive than any other lizard known in the sector. An adult or ancient specimen can easily grow to shoulder height of a regular human whilst standing on all fours. The species has a long body and tail, and possesses a pair of massive leathery wings on its back, each three times the size of its main body, to carry its own weight through the air. Everything except the wings are well armored under the thick bone plates of the exoskeleton. The species predatory habits are exemplified by its blunt claws, with which it holds onto its prey and strong sharp teeth, to shred flesh and bone into pieces. Size and Weight Wild living specimens can reach enormous heights with their hunched backs, where the wings connect to the spine. They grow easily between 1.5 to 1.8 meters (5 to 6 ft) tall and reaching length between 7.5 to 8.1 meters (25 to 27 ft), from head to the tip of the tail. Wyzbuk’s can achieve weights between 800 and 1,000 kg (1,800 and 2,200 lbs). Freshly hatched babies are tiny and less than 10 centimeters (4 inch) in height, but already deadly hunters which prey upon native insects. After only two years of growth almost all known specimens are up to 1.5 meters (5 ft) in height. Distribution and Habitat It's still a mystery where the Wyzbuk originates from. However, it has been observed that the species is cold-blooded and is well adapted to hot climates. As such their prefered hunting grounds tend toward rocky, mountainous terrain and deserts. Presently multiple specimens can be found on Diomikato in the Aliya-System, on Maja in the Imperial Prime-System, on Man in the Meneus-System, on Berkmann III in the Helesco-System and Tiber in the Alvero-System. The first recorded sighting was in 3157 from WyzWatcher Pyxis Alers Domenic on Man in the Meneus-System, but how this hostile species has transferred to other habitable planets within the sector is unclear. However, most believe in the conspiracy some unknown terrorists have acted in some manner to distort and collapse native ecosystems of imperial homeworlds and thus sabotage the noble houses of Acheron Roh. Many brave biologists and scientists have dedicated their careers to studying the Wyzbuk, to find out its secrets and the origin of this monstrosity, with sadly little to no success. Those who have tried often died to both the creatures terrible wrath and it’s inhospitable local habitat in the pursuit of science. Rest in peace, WyzWatcher Pyxis Alers Domenic (* 27. June 3150, in deep space, † 10. April 3189, on Berkmann III in the Helesco-System), nobody will forget how brave you were. Diet This most powerful alpha predator is known to be a ruthless killer for all kinds of prey up to and in some cases exceeding its own formidable size. It prefers meat over any other food like plant fiber, which makes it an obligate carnivore. Additionally, the Wyzbuk preferentially selects big meals over smaller ones. A normal meal for any specimen approximates about 10% of its own weight and with that caloric intake can nourish itself it up to one week. After the Wyzbuk has hunted they are notably more sedate and prefer to relax on sunbaked rocks or sand in the sun, for a time periods up to two days at a time. However, despite this pattern of eating behaviour, this monstrosity is believed to host an nearly endless appetite and is difficult to saturate. Even a Wyzbuk which has already eaten, does not shy back from one more hunt for sport, from which it devours the easy meal later. Poison The saliva of the Wyzbuk is on its own not special, but, it is always mixed with potent venom from it’s poison gland. The species is notably immune to its own venom, which has a very strong hallucinogenic effect on most prey, whilst also inducing muscle relaxation and disorientation of the victims higher functions after a very short onset time. The effect of the hallucinations have been documented to be be quite varied but most human survivors claim to have seen strange neon colors and other synaesthesia, for up to a week. During that period the victims are absolutely helpless, becoming unresponsive and unable to speak, eat, drink, or to care about personal hygiene on their own. Additionally, after that period most victims suffer from memory loss and amnesia of up to 24 hours prior to the attack, which can take up to another week to regain. Survivors of an attack of a Wyzbuk are to be considered lucky and most witnesses will quickly wish to forget the awkward days after the attack fast, at least if they consider them self a friend. The venom of a baby or younger Wyzbuk is not as potent as the one from an older specimen. The onset is the same but the duration of the trip is much shorter, depending on the age of the specimen from which the venom was harvested. Some drug dealers use the venom of the young specimens commercially for profit, and the addicted to have a crazy time, but the length of the trip is hard to control and ends more than often than not with the user dead. Social behavior and hunting The Wyzbuk is a lone fearless, vicious and powerful hunter, which prefers solitude. They don’t appreciate companionship, and ferociously fight if they encounter another specimen of their own or any other kind. If the unwelcome visitor does not retreat in time a fight to the death will be unpreventable. It is important to mention, Wyzbuk’s also attack vehicles if necessary to protect their territory. The species is too big to sneak efficiently during a hunt, therefore, they fly and observe for big enough prey to fill their dietary needs in a single attempt. For an adult or ancient specimen a human child would not be big enough to feed it for the desired period, but an adult human might be desired if they are bulky enough. After a Wyzbuk has spotted its prey the attack will follow in form of a nosedive, to crush the selected creature beneath it own weight. However, this strategy is only successful in one third of attempts. Despite this, most of the prey is startled long enough to be bitten moments later. The venom ensures the prey will not get far, despite responsive fight or flight survival mechanisms. Reproduction and development A freshly hatched Wyzbuk is already a competent hunter which lacks just the size to be a threat for creatures larger than itself. Following this infancy they mature for two sector standard years until the specimens become capable of auto-reproduction once a year, therefore, interestingly, no alternate gender partner is necessary for proliferation. The Wyzbuk prefers to lay its eggs into hot sand on a high ground. Seldom they lay more than one or two eggs at a time and upon delivery they leave the clutch of eggs behind for good. The eggs have a dark shaded shell the size of an human adult’s fist and weigh about 0,9 kg (2 lbs) in most cases it can be mistaken for geological rocks or pebbles. It takes about 50 days of maturation in hot sand for a baby Wyzbuk to hatch. If more babies hatch at the same time, it rarely ends well for the weaker specimen, which is inevitably killed and consumed by its sibling. Even after Wyzbuk reaches maturity the species does not seemingly stop growing. It is more appropriate to describe the ongoing growth as subtle, between two and three centimeters gain (~ 1 inch) in five years. Natural enemies and life expectancy The Wyzbuk don’t have any other natural predators than humans and therefore due to gregarious glory seeking, poaching and weaponized hunts, they are firmly under the species protection register. Enough humans have hunted these rare creatures throughout the decades for sport, instead of just self-protection. The estimated life expectancy is about 60 years in the wild but more studies are needed for specimen in captivity. Most Wyzbuk’s in captivity are bred from unhatched eggs, caught in infancy or within their first year of life, otherwise it is considered be too dangerous to capture and captivate them. There is no known way to keep a conscious Wyzbuk calm in a cage, without clipping its wings and teeth beforehand. Otherwise their subsequent rampage can last as long as the cage can survive until breaking or they die from exhaustion/exertion. Behavior towards people Aggressive is the only word to describe the Wyzbuk, not just towards people, but to every living being. A deep and unbridled rage towards most lifeforms is seemingly handwritten into their formative conditioning by deep instinct. Use as food People it in the past have tried to cook the carcass of a felled beast as enormous size and would feed a large crowd, but the meat was hard to process butcher sufficiently and decomposed rapidly when post mortem. Those that did carve palatable sections fell victim to sickness just from small consumption of cooked meat the bacterial spectrum that thrives in the Wyzbuk’s digestive organs and skin is incredibly pathogenic to humans. These pathogens could potentially be virulent enough to wipe out large human populations however, airbourne vectors cannot colonise humans as the natural epidermal layer is immiscible with their preferred form of contamination. However, if ingested orally the gut offers no such protection allowing them to thrive. As a result it is categorically emphasised on host worlds to avoid eating Wyzbuk meat. Stats An Adult or Ancient Wyzbuk is a large beast with 40 HP. It has a dangerous bite attack which deals 1D8+3 damage (Shock dmg 2 / AC15). On a successful bite attack it introduces a hallucinogenic venom (onset 1d6 rounds, duration 1d6 days). The thick bone plates of the exoskeleton provide a natural AC 16. Movement on the ground: 10m Flying speed: 15m Exert +1 (overall +3), Notice +1, Punch +2 (overall +8), Sneak +0, Survive +1 Lore involving a Wyzbuk Stories * A bar is no place for a Wyzbuk Category:Aliens